Can You Brie-lieve It: Let's Talk About The Captain Marvel Easter Egg In Doctor Strange!

tweet: tomtomchap Warden of the North - bearded, tattooed and square eyed 'til the end

Warning: mild SPOILERS for Doctor Strange ahead!

There was no denying that #DoctorStrange was a "Marvel-lous" trip onto the astral plane, and we are still trying to recover from our motion sickness to unravel the film. #Marvel are well-known for their #EasterEggs, and we have been hunting high and low to find hints of the upcoming #MCU. Now, thanks to director Scott Derrickson, we could have confirmation of a certain lycra-clad heroine is arriving sooner than expected. It may still three years until #BrieLarson takes to the skies as #CaptainMarvel, but did Doctor Strange start queuing her up early?

The Doctor Is In

Image: Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Clearly ignoring his "road safety during a storm" module, the scene in question comes just before Steven Strange's spin off the road, while he is going through possible patients. We first hear of a Marine Colonel involved in an accident with a suit of armor, which Derrickson was quick to dismiss as being War Machine. According to the director, because Rhodes's accident takes place at the end of #CivilWar, the timelines wouldn't have added up, and Strange's crash was effectively a flashback. This has lead eagle-eyed theorists to guess that that accident is more likely to be the failed experiments during Iron Man 2, and the result of Stark's enemy-in-arms Justin Hammer.

However, it was the second possible patient that piqued our attention. Strange then hears about a woman in her 20s who is struck by lightning, made worse by an electronic implant in her brain to help with her schizophrenia. Could that be Carol Danvers? When directly questioned on whether the victim is Captain Marvel, Derrickson referenced '90s thriller Don't Say A Word:

“Remember that Brittany Murphy movie where she goes ‘I’ll never tell…’”

Well, that's good enough for us!

If Derrickson was so quick to shoot down the War Machine rumors, why not Captain Marvel too?

A Marvel-lous Origin

Image: Marvel

It may be a bit out of the norm from Danvers's actual origin, but we all know how the MCU try to ground their heroes a little more in reality. It is a vast departure from the Captain Marvel of the comics, who is created when Danvers is caught in the blast of a Kree explosive, and has her DNA merged with original Captain (and love interest), Mar-Vel. Co-writer of the 2019 film, Nicole Perlman, has already said that they will be changing that origin as it is too close to the Green Lantern flop.

Image: Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Mind sufficiently blown with possibilities — unfortunately we will never get to see Strange work his magic on Danvers as his hands were quickly turned to dust. Moral of the story kids, follow the "Please Drive Carefully" warning at the end of the film. However, if that really was the first peek and Danvers, keep your eyes peeled for more signs of the blonde bombshell in the rest of Marvel's slate!

Check out Benedict Cumberbatch's explanation of the multiverse and don't forget the poll below!